'Outlook.pst is not a personal folders file'

[Guest]

My partner went to open her Outlook this morning (O2003, XPPro), and got the
message:

"Unable to start processing services. The file c:\...\Outlook\Outlook.pst
is not a personal folders file"

When Outlook is opened from a desktop shortcut, the error message comes up
once the Outlook window has opened, but a shortcut on the taskbar gives this
message before Outlook can load.

I notice in Windows Explorer that in the Outlook folder: the dates on her
yearly archives seem to be updated each time Outlook is opened, and the
contents of these is still intact; but the date on the Outlook.pst folder
stays on 27 May, and it is disturbingly showing '0kb'!

Interestingly, messages can be found by Google Desktop Search, but,
unfortunately, if any attachments on these are clicked, this opens Outlook
with the same message.


Searching for similar on Google, I found one fix for 'unable to start
processing services', which was to rename either OutItems.log, or
Offitems.log. We do not appear to have an 'offitems.log', but I found an
OutItems.log and renamed it. Unfortunately this made no difference.

What has happened; and what, if anything can I do to get her proper pst
folder back?

Any lifesaving help would be much appreciated!

S

 

[Oliver Vukovics [Public Shareware]]

Dear spamlet,

did you try the "scanpst.exe" (Inbox repair tool)?

Have a look on this site :
http://www.slipstick.com/problems/scanpst.asp

Maybe it helps.

 

[Guest]

Would that work on a box that is registering '0kb'?

I thought perhaps there had been some sort of 'compaction' error, like one
sometimes gets in OE. I thought there might be a big renamed pst or ps
something else file somewhere that I need to get back.

Thanks for responding.

S

 

[Brian Tillman]

I thought perhaps there had been some sort of 'compaction' error,
like one sometimes gets in OE. I thought there might be a big
renamed pst or ps something else file somewhere that I need to get
back.

Outlook doesn't work as Outlook Express does and no backups are made of your
data unless YOU make them. If the PST says "not a Personal Folders file"
and it is now 0KB in size, you are screwed.

 

[Guest]

Can you give me some idea as to what might have caused this?

S

 

[Guest]

Outlook doesn't work as Outlook Express does and no backups are made of
your data unless YOU make them. If the PST says "not a Personal Folders
file" and it is now 0KB in size, you are screwed.

OK, so I've made a new personal folders file so that I can get at today's
messages - opting to move the 'contents' of the 'old' one into the new just
in case - not that there appeared to be any.

Perhaps you can explain why there are no individual pst files for 'inbox'
etc even though these appear to be separate folders in the folder tree?

And moreover, explain how I can still view the 'non existent's email via
Google Desktop - except for the attachments. If GD can find it: where is
it? And how can I put it back, short of copying it manually one message at
a time?

Regards

S

 

[Gordon]

OK, so I've made a new personal folders file so that I can get at today's
messages - opting to move the 'contents' of the 'old' one into the new
just in case - not that there appeared to be any.

Perhaps you can explain why there are no individual pst files for 'inbox'
etc even though these appear to be separate folders in the folder tree?

Because Outlook has ALL your Outlook data in ONE file - that's why.

 

[Guest]

Because Outlook has ALL your Outlook data in ONE file - that's why.

In that case I will certainly never use it myself!

The usefulness of answer one gets in the OE group is another enormous plus
too!

Not at all impressed with the way I have been treated after coming here for
help today. Yet as as far as I can tell all outlook questions sites
eventually end up back here. Whilst I can appreciate that there only seem
to be a handful of helpers dealing with all the questions, I would have
expected at least some links that would help me get an idea of what might
have happened to cause this, so that I can insure that it does not happen
again.

I shall just have to chalk up outlook as something to avoid in future.

S

 

[Brian Tillman]

Perhaps you can explain why there are no individual pst files for
'inbox' etc even though these appear to be separate folders in the
folder tree?

The Outlook PST is a database and the folder names are merely keys
associated with each record in the file. They aren't real folders, but
Outlook presents them to you that way because people find it easier to work
with data in collections.

And moreover, explain how I can still view the 'non existent's email
via Google Desktop - except for the attachments. If GD can find it:
where is it? And how can I put it back, short of copying it manually
one message at a time?

I have no idea how GDS works. Ask Google.

 

[Guest]

The Outlook PST is a database and the folder names are merely keys
associated with each record in the file. They aren't real folders, but
Outlook presents them to you that way because people find it easier to
work with data in collections.


I have no idea how GDS works. Ask Google.

Thanks Brian, that is much clearer.

I'll ask the GDS people. I had thought their index was just a list of
references to words, but it looks like they must store cache images as well
somewhere...

There are a number of pst recovery software packages out there. Can you
tell me if there is one - as there is with OE - that can actually search the
hard drive for the 'broken' pst file or its mail, rather than relying on
there being an overt pst file that registers with Outlook?

Cheers,

S

 

[Brian Tillman]

There are a number of pst recovery software packages out there. Can
you tell me if there is one - as there is with OE - that can actually
search the hard drive for the 'broken' pst file or its mail, rather
than relying on there being an overt pst file that registers with
Outlook?

The closest I've ever seen are DBXtract and DBXpress, found at
http://www.oehelp.com/

 

[Guest]

The closest I've ever seen are DBXtract and DBXpress, found at
http://www.oehelp.com/

Cheers Brian,


I have DBXtract, though I was not aware it could be used on psts?
It, like the 'pst repair' utility, seemed to rely on there actually being a
pukka folder with something registering as being in it.

I believe DBXpress was said to be able to recover message fragments from the
hard drive, but I decided that I probably would not be able to sort out the
'wanted' from the deliberately deleted. So, when I lost several of my OE
dbxs after a 'compaction', I settled for putting it down to experience, and
got QuickBackup on the go...


S

 

[Brian Tillman]

I have DBXtract, though I was not aware it could be used on psts?
It, like the 'pst repair' utility, seemed to rely on there actually
being a pukka folder with something registering as being in it.

Oops. I misread what you wrote. I saw it as "search for DBX files."

 

[Guest]

Oops. I misread what you wrote. I saw it as "search for DBX files."

No probs. Good to see you are still keeping tabs (I don't get to look at
the newsgroups as often as I should). I've been tipped into a root and
branch sort out of our drives and back up strategies by all this, so
hopefully will be minimising the chances of this happening again...

Cheers,

S